TS 1.12 - Pugliese Instrumental 1953-56
Tags: Osvaldo Pugliese, InstrumentalCategory: CompilationSamples
These were turbulent years, yet Pugliese and his orquesta continued to fight. In 1953, Pugliese resumed performing on Radio Splendid. In 1954, however, both vocalists and bandoneonist Jorge Caldara left the orchestra in succession for various reasons. Just as Mario Demarco had stepped in to replace Caldara, two new singers had joined, and the band was beginning to find its footing again, another blow came: in early 1955, their maestro was arrested and imprisoned.
Pugliese was released six months later, in July 1955. In November, musician Roberto Peppe tragically lost his life in a climbing accident. Ismael Spitalnik joined in 1956 to replace Peppe. Pugliese himself continued to face intermittent arrests, and it was during this period that the legendary story of the red carnation began.
With this historical background in mind, the instrumental recordings from these years can be clearly divided, around Pugliese’s imprisonment, into two periods: 1953–54 and 1955–56. 1953 begins with the classic Chiqué, followed by six other predominantly traditional works; in 1955 came Emancipación, the first recording Pugliese made after his release from prison. Together with another six predominantly contemporary works that followed, these recordings started to reveal something more profoundly spiritual.
TS 1.12 is a perfect portrait of Pugliese during these extraordinary years. These fifteen recordings, including two takes of Chiqué, are each jewels of tango artistry. Today, TangoSparks presents them to the public at a level of sound quality that is unmatched.
From a sound engineer's perspective, these recordings belong to a transitional period, when magnetic-tape masters were gradually evolving toward relative maturity. Judging from the surviving sources, their original releases were all on 10-inch LPs, a format that still suffered from technical limitations and cannot be relied on. As a result, both the selection of sources and the choice of stylus presented a multitude of complexity that had to be overcome throughout the restoration process.
There exist two versions of Chiqué. Take 1 (matrix no. 18934) survives only on scarce 78 rpm records. The much better-known Take 2 (matrix no. 18934-1), by contrast, was the version selected for LP editions. Take 2 alone appeared on no fewer than ten LP releases, which gives some idea of the difficulty involved in determining the finest one.
Other classics, including Seguime Si Podés, Emancipación, Orgullo Criollo, etc., each presented their own difficult restoration problems. There is little need to detail them individually here. While the existing CD editions had already brought these recordings to an acceptable level of listenability, TS 1.12 raises their sound quality to an entirely new and unprecedented level.
I believe this is a classic album that no tango DJ or serious enthusiast should miss.
Frank Jin
| Date | Track | Genre | Singer | Label | Matrix No. | Pitch | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953-05-28 | Chiqué | Tango | Instrumental | Odeón | 18934 | 440 | 3:17 |
| 1953-05-28 | Chiqué | Tango | Instrumental | Odeón | 18934-1 | 440 | 3:16 |
| 1953-10-06 | Seguime Si Podés | Tango | Instrumental | Odeón | 19166 | 440 | 3:13 |
| 1953-11-25 | La Rayuela | Tango | Instrumental | Odeón | 19252 | 440 | 3:20 |
| 1954-03-17 | Mi Lamento | Tango | Instrumental | Odeón | 19400 | 440 | 3:07 |
| 1954-05-13 | Nueve De Julio | Tango | Instrumental | Odeón | 19486 | 440 | 3:38 |
| 1954-07-14 | La Guitarrita | Tango | Instrumental | Odeón | 19576 | 440 | 3:11 |
| 1954-12-13 | Mi Fuelle Rezonga | Tango | Instrumental | Odeón | 19858 | 440 | 2:55 |
| 1955-09-02 | Emancipación | Tango | Instrumental | Odeón | 20440 | 440 | 3:26 |
| 1956-01-31 | A Mis Compañeros | Tango | Instrumental | Odeón | 20770 | 440 | 3:36 |
| 1956-03-20 | A Roberto Peppe | Tango | Instrumental | Odeón | 20836 | 440 | 3:06 |
| 1956-06-21 | Orgullo Criollo | Tango | Instrumental | Odeón | 21094 | 440 | 3:23 |
| 1956-10-26 | Suipacha | Tango | Instrumental | Odeón | 21473 | 440 | 3:15 |
| 1956-11-28 | Nochero Soy | Tango | Instrumental | Odeón | 21600 | 440 | 3:31 |
| 1956-12-26 | Marrón Y Azul | Tango | Instrumental | Odeón | 21727 | 440 | 3:22 |
